Impossible
by iunctusproinfinito
Summary: How I think A Tisket, A Tasket should have ended. This is my first posted fan fiction so please give it a try and tell me what you think
1. Impossible

**A/N: How I think A Tisket, A Tasket should have ended. This is my first posted fan fiction. So please give it a chance and review.**

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**Chapter One: Impossible**

Rory gasped, "The Fountainhead is classic."

She and Jess were sitting on the bridge arguing over literature and completely ignoring Rory's picnic.

"Yeah, but Ayn Rand is a political nut," replied Jess

"Yeah, but nobody could write a forty page monologue the way that she could."

Rory glared at Jess until he sighed and gave in. "Okay, tomorrow, I will try again, and you will…"

"Give the painful Ernest Hemingway another chance. Yes, I promise."

"You know, Ernest only has lovely things to say about you."

Rory studied Jess curiously.

"Why are you only nice to me?" she asked. Jess looked at Rory quickly, shocked by her question.

"What?"

"An hour ago you were totally screwing with Dean and now you're totally nice to me." Rory, pointed out, still curious.

"You see, it's the screwing with Dean – that's an important step to getting here so that I can be nice to you."

"So it was a plan."

"What?" asked Jess.

"The whole bidding on my basked, it was a plan."

Jess looked quickly from Rory to the picnic basket. "Okay I'm officially starving."

Rory smirked in amusement, Jess was changing the subject. "And officially evasive."

"Come on, I'll get you pizza."

"Answer my question."

"Do you like pepperoni?" said Jess, continuing to ignore Rory.

"You're not going to, are you?"

"We can just get it on half if you want."

Rory sighed in defeat. "Okay, I give, let's go."

"If you insist," replied Jess with a smirk.

Rory rolled her eyes and stood up, walking away. She didn't notice her fallen bracelet or Jess bending to pick it up and slip it into his pocket.

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Jess hurried to catch up to Rory, who was already headed towards Joe's Pizza Place at a fast pace. He could tell she was annoyed with him for not answering her question but what was he supposed to tell her? That she was right, it was a plan? He couldn't do that. Not that it was true, he just wanted to piss off Bag Boy, behold his success. Seeing Rory was an added bonus, she is, after all, the only person close to sane in this town.

So why did he find himself making excuses to be places he knew she would be? Could he possibly… No. It was impossible. Rory would never be more than a friend to Jess. Still, he couldn't help but wonder…

Impossible.

He couldn't do it; it wasn't even an option for him. She was sweet and innocent. She was too smart to even consider falling for a guy like him. Plus, she already had one of those Leave it to Beaver boyfriends. Actually, when Jess thought about it, Rory's entire life so closely resembled something you could watch on Nick at Nite it was scary. Jess's life, on the other hand, you could find on HBO. He was sarcastic, a wise ass. He smoked and got into fights. He would ruin her happy sitcom life.

Impossible.

_But, God, she's beautiful._

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_Where is your boy tonight? I hope he is a gentleman. Maybe he won't find out what I know. You were the last good thing about this part of town._

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**A/N: Yeah, in case you didn't figure it out the italics are thoughts. Sorry this chapter was so short and most of it was from the show. The next chapter is written and all original and I'll post it as soon as I'm sure this one is all up and running. Also the lyrics as the end are fromGrandtheft Autumn/Where is Your Boy by Fall Out Boy.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do NOT own Jess...or Rory...or Kirk for that matter...**


	2. I Just Don't Get It

**A/N: How I think A Tisket, A Tasket should have ended. This is my first posted fan fiction. So please give it a chance and review.**

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**Chapter Two: I Just Don't Get It**

"What are you looking at, Jess?" she asked, a hint of annoyance evident in her voice.

"What? Oh! Um…there was a bird and…" he trailed off. "Look, we're here. Did you say you liked pepperoni or not. I don't remember…"

He was squirming. Jess, the look-at-me-I'm-from-New-York-I'm-so-tough guy was squirming. She didn't get it. She didn't get him. Every time she thought she had him all figured out he'd do something unexpected and all her theories went down the drain. She had never been able to fit him into a box like the rest of the town had.

It seemed to Rory that from the moment he stepped off the bus from New York, Jess was the 'Town Hoodlum'. No one ever really gave him a chance. Rory smiled, not that Jess had helped the situation any. He was proud of the title and he lived up to it gloriously. Between the gnomes and the chalk outline and the other assorted bad boy antics, Rory really couldn't blame the people of Stars Hollow for sticking with the label.

But she just couldn't.

She couldn't just write Jess off as a rebel without a cause and be done with it. She wanted to know why. Rory was determined to find out what made Jess tick. So she spent more time with him, that is, as much as she could without Dean and her mom breathing down her neck, and she talked to him. The more that Rory saw the less she believed he was just some punk fresh off the streets of New York.

For example; how many hoodlums are there who have read A Farewell to Arms by Hemmingway? How many of those same hoodlums could recite a poem by Pablo Neruda from memory? Jess could. He was the only person Rory had ever met that understood and shared her passion for books. She could argue with him about whether Tolkien was really a genius, or just insane. Everyone else just nodded and smiled when she went on about Charles Dickens being depressing and pessimistic, but not Jess. He was right there with an interesting factoid or an argument.

As Rory watched Jess order their food she smiled. She just didn't get it. Why was Jess only nice to her? When Rory told people that they were wrong about Jess they looked at her like she belonged in a loony bin or something. They just didn't know him like she did. Jess showed a different side of himself when it was just the two of them. No one else got to see what Rory saw. They certainly didn't see the smart, funny, well-read guy that appeared to Rory.

_They don't get it. _

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Jess walked over to the table where Rory sat staring out the window, lost in thought.

"I doubt there's anything out there worth your attention," he said as he set the food down on the table and went to sit across from Rory.

She looked up at him, pulled back from her mind's wanderings by the sound of his voice. "You know, this town isn't as boring as you might think. Plenty of things happen here."

"'I hate small towns because once you've seen the cannon in the park there's nothing left to do.' And this town doesn't even have a cannon. The biggest news since I got here was the missing lawn gnome."

"Two references to Lenny Bruce in one day. I'm impressed."

"I try."

"Besides we don't need a cannon, we have Taylor."

Jess smirked. "Aren't you going to eat? I know you're hungry, I've seen you eat."

"Oh, yeah, the pizza!"

Rory looked down at the pizza sitting in front of her. It was half cheese, half pepperoni. She smiled and shook her head before grabbing herself a slice of each. _I just don't get it._

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_We only half-express ourselves and are ashamed of that half which is hidden_.

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**A/N: Hey, thanks for the reviews, here's the second chapter because I know there wasnt much to the first one, not that this one's much better, but what can I say? The quote is a variation of a quote from Ralph Waldo Emmerson.**

**Disclaimer: I tried calling Amy to arrange a meeting, but she hasn't called me back so it looks like my chances of owning Gilmore Girls is not so good...**


	3. Perfect As Is

**A/N: How I think A Tisket, A Tasket should have ended. This is my first posted fan fiction. So please give it a chance and tell me what you think.**

**Hmm... I'm loving the reveiws everyone! Thank you and keep em coming!**

**whatever13245- **lol, your review was fine, write what ever ou want, I don't care if it's comments about the writing, Just that you like it is good for me.

**lexi- **gracias!

**sanfrangiantsfan-** caffine is GOOD

**BSManthaLUV-** thanks, I always kind of thought that Jess was in denial for a while before he snapped out of it (thank god) so I guess I just wrote it that way. I'm glad you like it.

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**Chapter 3: Perfect As is**

A bell rang as Rory and Jess walked into the bookstore.

"Hello?" called a voice from the back.

"Hey Andrew, it's Rory." She called back.

Andrew poked his head around some bookshelves and smiled. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite customer. Can I help you with anything?"

"Nope, we're just going to browse."

"Alright then, let me know if you need anything."

"I will," said Rory as Andrew once again disappeared into the back room.

Rory turned to Jess and smiled before heading off into the stacks.

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Jess had noticed a change in Rory as soon as she walked into the bookstore. She had been holding back all afternoon, being careful around him, probably because of Dean, but as Jess watched Rory walking through the bookshelves he saw all the layers slowly strip away. It was like she walked into the bookstore and the real world was a figment of the imagination. Fantasy is reality, reality is fantasy. The only problem she faced here was which book to pick.

"You really like it here, don't you?" asked Jess.

"I do. All these books right here at my disposal, it's perfect," replied Rory. "Books are my escape. I can travel all around the world with them and still stay in my living room. I don't even have to go somewhere in this world. I could go to Middle Earth or Neverland. There's no limitations, no responsibilities, no drama, just a story. I can just… get away." Rory paused and looked at Jess. He was looking at her with a strange gleam in his eyes. She blushed and turned back to the bookshelf.

"What about you," she asked. "Why do you like books so much?'

Jess smirked. "Who says I like books?"

"Anyone who reads Hemmingway and Oliver Twist likes books, Dodger. Just answer the question."

"Fine, I give, I like books."

"So?"

"So what?" Rory glared at him. Jess smirked again and moved a step closer.

"I don't know. I guess it's an escape for me too, but not in the same way. When I read a book I'm in the story. I can be whoever I want to be, act however I want to act. I can be someone else."

As Jess spoke his voice got softer and softer until it was little more than a whisper. Rory looked at him in awe as what he said sunk in. Rory realized then that Jess' confidence was just one of the many masks that he hid behind so no one could hurt him, or at least, no one could see that he was hurt.

"Jess…" Rory took a step towards him and raised her hand to touch his cheek but stopped and pulled away before she did. She wanted to comfort him, to tell him that he didn't need to be someone else, nothing needed changing, he was perfect as is, but she didn't know how. She looked into his honey brown eyes and froze. She saw something warm in those eyes and it scared her. It scared her because she was afraid that maybe that same warmth was in her eyes too. Jess came closer and Rory found herself looking at his lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss him. Dean would hate it… _Oh my God! Dean!_ She yanked back and turned around to face the books again.

"So, what do you think we should get?" She asked quickly.

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She took a step towards him. She was close enough to touch, but he couldn't, he wasn't allowed. To touch is to taint, and he would never taint her. She raised her hand, as if to caress her, but unsure, put it back down. He had been convincing himself all day that he didn't feel anything in her presence, but standing this close to her was wreaking havoc on his convictions. He wanted to kiss her. He looked up into her eyes and saw a sparkle there that gave him hope. Suddenly, the sparkle was replaced by realization, then terror, and she shot away from him, blushing.

"Why don't we split up and look," said Jess, hurt but not wanting to show it. In his opinion, space was a very good thing right then. "We'll get through more books that way."

"Good idea, I'll take this side, you take that side," replied Rory, thankful that she hadn't had to come up with something.

They split up and searched in silence for a few minutes before Rory came bounding back to Jess excitedly.

"Guess what I just found!"

"The compact Oxford English Dictionary."

"No, I already have that."

"Of course you do. Alright, what did you find?"

Rory held up a copy of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson, her eyes shining excitedly.

"The Little Mermaid?" Jess asked skeptically.

"Hey! I love this book! My mom used to read it to me when I was little but I lost it a couple weeks ago. Andrew didn't have a copy so he ordered it for me and it's in!"

"So I see. What else do you have?"

"The Children's Hour."

Jess raised his eyebrow.

"What? It's for mom."

It was all Jess could do not to laugh out loud. Loralai reading Lillian Hellman? Or, funnier yet, Lorelai reading a book? He wisely chose not to voice his thoughts. "Okay, let's go pay."

"Wait. I don't want to go yet, let's just read."

"Alright, I'll go get a book."

"Why don't we read together."

"You want me to sit and listen to The Little Mermaid," Jess asked. Rory nodded, blushing.

"Or you could read it to me, if you wanted…"

"No. No way." She became determined when she heard his flat refusal. After all, when it comes to books and coffee, nobody refuses a Gilmore.

"Please! Do it for me, Jessy?" Rory begged

With one look at her, Jess knew he was going to agree. He hated being such a softie, but that he was doing it for her somehow made it better. After all, no one in the Danes family refused a Gilmore anything.

Jess sighed. "Alright, but don't ever call me Jessy again."

"Yay!" said Rory jumping up and down and clapping her hands in excitement.

Jess rolled his eyes at her. "Where do you want to sit?"

"Over there," said Rory, pointing to a corner near the back where no one looking through the window could see them.

Jess walked over and sat with his back against the corner where the wall met a bookshelf. Rory handed him the book and sat down beside him. Trying to get comfortable, she squirmed for a while. When she stopped moving Jess opened the book and started reading.

"Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it…"

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Andrew walked out of the back room with a shipment of new books ready to go on the shelves. He was headed over to the fiction section when he suddenly stopped. In the corner between the literature and fiction shelves, Rory was laying with her head on Jess' shoulder listening to him read to her in a soft voice. Jess had his arm tightly around her waist as if he was afraid of letting her go. Andrew quietly turned and went back into the back room. The books could wait.

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_None is as mysterious and compelling as the world of books..."_

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**A/N: Hey, yeah, I'm not sure when the next chapter's gonna be up, I have band and homework and ugh, parents breathing down my neck. I'll get it up ASAP. Scouts honor, cept im not really a scout, so take that as you will. **


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